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Postpartum Anxiety

I read an article yesterday in Cookie Magazine at my local soup shop about postpartum anxiety and I realized that I see more women suffering from postpartum anxiety than postpartum depression. The need for modern woman to wear so many hats is definitely taking its toll on women’s sanity. Women are waiting longer to have babies and requiring more and more assisted reproductive technology. Plus we are supposed to have thriving careers, perfect bodies and clean homes…how can we do it all?

In Chinese Medicine birthing is considered the biggest drain on a woman’s essence or jing.

Jing is basically your battery reserve of strength for life. Everyone is born with a certain amount at birth and the levels are steadily used to sustain life. Jing essence is exceedingly difficult to replace (some ancients believe that qi gong, meditation and a few supplements like cordyceps can do so).

Jing is drawn steadily from the kidneys to support the aging process and is burned rapidly through stressful events, medications and stimulants that tap the adrenals. It is far better to pull the energy you need from the food you eat and sleep you get than use your reserves.

In order to do everything that you can to preserve Jing traditional culture recommends rising with the sun and sleeping with the setting sun, resting during the menses, avoiding intercourse during the menses and refraining from stimulants.

Postpartum anxiety is a syndrome where the mother is overly anxious, suffering from paranoid thoughts, obsessive compulsive behaviors, sleep disorders and physical issues like palpitations. Many women are stressed about the well-being of the baby and even possibly concerned that they will harm their own baby (i havent met anyone with this extreme condition). If your condition persists for more that two weeks or you have thoughts of harming your baby, you need to speak with your Dr immediately.

From a TCM point of view postpartum women are extremely blood deficient. The body’s blood volume has practically doubled throughout pregnancy to support the fetus; the hair gets luxurious, nails long and strong and little wrinkles disappear. Postpartum is a different story. Childbirth itself is pretty bloody-especially if you have had a C-section. Nursing also depletes the bodies fluid levels. When blood and fluid levels get low there is a phenomenon in Chinese medicine called Liver Blood or/or Heart Blood/Yin Deficiency. This can manifest as disturbed sleep, palpitations, dry mouth, agitation, anxiety, trouble concentrating…

Chinese medicine treats postpartum anxiety really well. There are many classical herbal formulas to address both the root and symptom of postpartum anxiety or if you are concerned about taking herbs and nursing acupuncture alone may be the way to go.

Dietary therapy is helpful as well. I always make sure a woman is taking: